Around 4 o'clock Tuesday afternoon, the Patriots made an official announcement that they'd traded with the Chicago Bears for linebacker Jonathan Bostic. The veteran was in the Patriots locker room Tuesday afternoon, less than 24 hours after arriving in New England.
He's already taken part in a couple of meetings with his new team, and despite having a lot more work on his plate, Bostic took five minutes to speak with the media about his unexpected move from The Windy City.
"It's a business. You can't be surprised about anything," he asserted. "Just have to keep looking ahead. I've got to get in and learn the philosophy, special teams playbook, defensive playbook, and just keep moving. My job is to come in and be the best player I can be every day."
The 6-1, 245-pounder was a game-day inactive for the Bears these first three weeks of the season due to an ankle injury he suffered during the preseason, but he declared himself at just about near full strength at the moment.
"I went down [with an injury] in the preseason, needed to get healthy. I'm pretty much there now. Really just taking it day by day… I'm just getting started."
Last season, the Patriots acquired a pair of linebackers – Akeem Ayers and Jonathan Casillas – in mid-season trades, and both of those players saw action on the field for New England that same week they arrived. Bostic has the luxury of a bye in his first week with the Patriots, so, he should be more prepared when the Patriots face Dallas on October 11.
"Yeah, definitely," he agreed. "Obviously, trying to pick up everything in a couple of days is tough. The bye week will help out."
And it's not as if Bostic, a former Florida Gator, is entirely unfamiliar with the Patriots. He was exposed to head coach Bill Belichick when Belichick visited the campus of the University of Florida a number of times in recent years. He's also "pretty close friends," he said, with defensive lineman Dominique Easley, another former Gator.
To make room for Bostic on the active roster, the Patriots had to remove someone from it, and they chose to release veteran running back Travaris Cadet.
Martin makes an impression
Before Bostic came to town, the most recent Patriots acquisition was wide receiver Keshawn Martin, who was also acquired in a trade with the Houston Texans earlier this month. Deactivated versus Buffalo in Week 2, Martin suited up as a Patriot for the first time this past Sunday against Jacksonville.
Unlike many other veteran receivers who've been brought into this offense, Martin was a quick study. He caught all three Tom Brady passes thrown to him, including a 13-yard touchdown on a nice improvised route when Brady scrambled out of the pocket to escape pressure.
"Yeah, it was great, you know. It's exciting to be out there with the offense, great group of guys. Definitely gave me a little confidence. I just want to keep getting better," Martin said of his New England debut.
"It was just a lot of studying going into it. Just had to focus on getting the offense down. It's similar to what Houston does [offensively], but it's still different. I feel comfortable, but there are a lot of things I need to learn and do better."
Practice Report
Players are normally off on Tuesdays during the regular season, but with the bye week looming, New England is on an altered training schedule this week. The team was at the facility today for meetings and light workouts and will return to the practice field on Wednesday.
